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Sporting Dog Profits

Experts Share Six Tips For Selling Training Products

Hunters who hunt with dogs spend a lot of money on their sporting canines.

“Even though we’re in a recession, the dog industry has been very good, and we’ve continued to sell equipment,” said Pete Fischer of Dogtra, makers of e-collars and other dog-training products. “If you have a dog, you still have to feed it and train it. People aren’t going to get rid of their dog just because times are tough. A lot of gun dealers who don’t sell dog products don’t realize how big the industry is.”

“Dealers may get some crossover from the pet trade, depending on what their market is,” Fischer said. “Scheel’s Sports stores sell a lot of what I call ‘yuppie sports equipment,’ such as snowboards, skis and sporting equipment, as well as electronic collars and gun-dog equipment. In a store like that, you’ll get a lot of customers who are ‘pet people,’ although you might not have those customers in a store that’s strictly ‘hook and bullet.’”

Tip #1: Identify Your Customers

“Of 100 customers who come into your store, 10 to 15 will be interested in dog-training equipment,” said Gary Williams, Tri-Tronics manager of marketing and sales.

Based on what a customer buys, you can ask questions about what kind of dog he may have.

“If he’s buying something for waterfowl or bird hunting, ask him if he’s training a retrieving dog,” Williams said. “Quickly qualify your customers as to what they may want.”

>> Click Here << To Read More About Sporting Dog Profits In The October 2011 Issue